Interconnected Worlds: Exploring Social Issues and Nonhuman Impacts
Course Description
This 12-week course analyzes how human activity affects nonhuman entities like animals, nature, and even technology. The topics covered include sustainability of the environment the protection of animal rights, as well as the impact of AI on social dynamics in the hope of enhancing comprehension of global problems and the relationships between human beings and nonhuman creatures.
Objectives and Learning Outcomes
● Critical Analysis: Learn knowledge to examine human social problems against the nonhuman perspective, with particular attention to nonhuman aspects.
● Build Interdisciplinarity: Learn in depth the ways that different disciplines, including environmental sciences Sociology, technology studies, and sociology collaborate to solve social issues.
● Empathy and ethical reasoning: Strengthen empathy toward other nonhuman entities that are affected by social problems while enhancing ethics-based decision-making abilities in this context.
● Communication Skills: Enhance the ability to clarify complex interrelations between human and nonhuman aspects through both verbal and written formats.
● Problem-solving: Foster innovative thinking in addressing social issues considering the impact on and contribution of nonhuman factors.
By the end of the course, students will not only have an understanding of certain aspects of society but also be provided with the knowledge necessary to address these issues from a holistic and multiple perspective.
Learning Objectives
● Understanding Complex Interrelations: Students are taught knowledge that will benefit them in understanding the intricate interrelations between human and social dimensions like environmental issues technology, and the interests of animals.
● Critical Analytical Thinking: Demonstrate the knowledge required for critical analysis of case studies and actual instances, and evaluate their impact on the social and political issues that affect non-human beings as well as the reverse.
● Interdisciplinary Integration: Show the capability to make use of knowledge from different disciplines (sociology as well as environmental science the ethics of technology and more) in tackling social issues.
● ethical and empathic reasoning: Use ethics-based reasoning and empathy-based comprehension when looking at the implications of human rights issues in the non-human dimension.
● Effective Communication: Demonstrate competence in communicating complicated thoughts about social problems as well as the nonhuman consequences efficaciously via spoken and written Word formats.
● Methodology: Employ a solution-focused approach when it comes to proposing innovative and sustainable solutions to social challenges that consider nonhuman aspects and acknowledge the importance of these dimensions.
● Learning Skills for Research: Expand research abilities through engaging in a variety of sources, including academic textbooks case studies, case studies, and multimedia tools - to collect and synthesize data about human rights and social effects.
● Explore Cultural and Global awareness: Foster an awareness of social and cultural issues that are global about their impact on other human populations.
These objectives are designed to be specific and measurable, guiding students toward clear outcomes in terms of knowledge, skills, and competencies to be gained from the course.
Teaching materials and resources
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Week
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Topic
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Required Materials
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Recommended Materials
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1
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Human Rights and Dignity
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Hughes, G. (2011). "THE CONCEPT OF DIGNITY IN THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS"
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"Human Rights: A Very Short Introduction" by Andrew Clapham
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2
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Posthumanist Directions in Justice
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Clark, J. N. (2022). "Harm, relationality and more-than-human worlds: Developing the field of transitional justice in new posthumanist directions"
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"The Posthuman" by Rosi Braidotti
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3
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The Evolution of Human Rights
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İlgü Özler, Ş. (2018). "The Universal Declaration of Human Rights at Seventy: Progress and challenges"
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-
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4
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Social-Ecological Systems and COVID-19
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Kadykalo, A. N., et al. (2022). "Social-ecological systems approach are essential for understanding and responding to the complex impacts of COVID-19"
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Uddin, M. M., Schneider, P., Deb, D., Hasan, M., Ahmed, T., Mim, S. S., & Mozumder, M. M. H. (2022). Impacts, diversity, and resilience of a coastal water small-scale fisheries nexus during COVID-19: A Case Study in Bangladesh.
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5
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Bibliometric Analysis of World Issues
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To, W.-M. (2022). "A bibliometric analysis of world issues—social, political, economic, and environmental dimensions"
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-
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6
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Endocrine Disruption and Male Health
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Rehman, S., et al. (2018). "Endocrine disrupting chemicals and impact on male reproductive health"
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Rato, L., & Sousa, A. C. A. (2021). The impact of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in male fertility: Focus on the action of obesogens.
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7
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Ottoman Palestine and Historical Narratives
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Doumani, B. B. (1992). "Rediscovering Ottoman Palestine: Writing Palestinians into history"
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Ottoman History Podcast episodes
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8
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Technologies of Punishment: Eradicating
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Rigano, C. (2018). "Using Artificial Intelligence to Address Criminal Justice Needs"
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Dixon Jr, J. H. "Artificial Intelligence: Benefits and Unknown Risks"
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9
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Metals and Radiation: Harming
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Aitsi-Selmi, A., & Murray, V. (2016). "The Chernobyl Disaster and Beyond: Implications of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030"
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Tironi, M. (2018). Hypo-interventions: Intimate activism in toxic environments.
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10
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Incommensurability and Solidarity: Unsettling
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IAEA (2006). "Environmental consequences of the Chernobyl accident and their remediation: Twenty years of experience"
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"Reel Injun" (2009) (Film)
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11
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Neuroqueer and Disabled: Weirding
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Shannon, D. B. (2020). Neuroqueer(ing) noise: Beyond ‘mere inclusion’ in a neurodiverse early childhood classroom.
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"Edward Scissorhands" (1990) (Film)
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12
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Things and Nonhuman Animals: Affecting
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Magaña, P. (2022). "Nonhuman animals and the all affected interests principle"
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"Ologies with Alie Ward" episodes
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School Goals and Curriculum Correspondence
This course aligns closely with the broader educational objectives of promoting critical thinking, interdisciplinary learning, and social responsibility, which are central to our institution's mission.
● Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving: The course offers a broad variety of topics the course will benefit students to develop critical thinking and develop the capacity to look at complicated problems by looking at them from different perspectives - a crucial capability when dealing with ever-changing global contexts.
● An Integrative Methodology: The curriculum's combination of subjects like sociology, ecology, and engineering demonstrates our commitment to interdisciplinarity and ties well with the mission of our school, which is to train students with the ability to think holistically as they understand interrelations across different disciplines of research.
● Global Sensitivity to Culture and Awareness: Through the study of international social issues that involve non-human dimensions the course helps to develop global perspectives in students. Students also collect the knowledge needed to comprehend different cultures in addition to the global consequences of local decisions made local to the area.
● Lifelong Learning and Adaptability: Through a study of current and changing questions of society the course will benefit to develop the lifelong learning process. The students possess the ability to adapt and are curious required for continual personal as well as skillful advancement - consistent with the focus of our school on constant personal as well as competent improvement.
In essence, "Interconnected Worlds: Exploring Social Issues and Nonhuman Impacts" not only contributes to the academic growth of our students but also supports the broader educational mission of our institution by fostering well-rounded, informed, and socially responsible individuals.